They said it: Player quotes from the last day of work

CRAIG ANDERSON

“We play a team game. If I wanted to play an individual sport, I would have played golf or tennis. Then the onus is all on me. But this is a team game and my role is to stop the puck, and there is some responsibility there that I have to accept, but this is a team game and the players around you help you look good, in the case of last year … Could I have played better? Yeah, absolutely. But there are six guys on the ice and mistakes happen.”

“I’ve grown with this team for the last few years. I feel like I’m a big part of what’s going on in this room and with the guys. Thc city, the fans, the atmosphere, everything about Ottawa has been terrific for me and my family. I would not want to have any change. Once you find something you like, you don’t want to take that guess that maybe it might be better somewhere else.”

MIKA ZIBANEJAD

“It’s not an injury, it’s nothing to do with the head or anything or a concussion. I just didn’t feel well. I felt very sick. I talked to Gerry (Townend), our trainer, and the doctors and we did some further tests to see what it is. Everything for now has been coming back pretty good. We have a couple more tests.” (on his late-season absence)

JARED COWEN

“I want to have a bigger role as far as the leadership. It was a tough year. It goes back to last year and coming back from the hip (surgery), and it carried over to this year. I felt like I was a major contributor to us not playing as well as we should, in terms of defence, so there’s nothing I can do but move forward to next year.”

ERIK KARLSSON

“Personally, I need to be more consistent, too. That has been one of my biggest issues this year. I haven’t been consistent enough for a long period of time. I haven’t really felt the way I wanted to. That’s something I’m going to have to address this summer and coming back. Whenever I come back (from Sweden), late August or early September, (I want to) really lead by example and show the guys that I did my things this summer, and I’m going to show up and be the player that everybody, and myself included, want me to be.”

“I don’t think (Daniel Alfredsson’s departure) changed a lot of things. It was mostly his presence and the things he brought to this team. We felt it. Everybody felt it. But I don’t think it’s something that anybody had any issues dealing with or addressing, and I think with the group we had we were still as solid as we were with Alfie.”

CODY CECI

“I never thought I would play close to 50 games this year. I thought I would just play maybe one or two for injuries and whatnot. Everything worked out well pretty well for me this season. I’m happy with how much I have learned this year and how much I have improved my own game.”

MARC METHOT

“The (exit) meeting is certainly not as positive as last year. We felt we had a much better group than what we showed. I’m sure there’s a lot of decision-making that’s going to be made in the summer, and a lot of pressure on the guys to make sure we’re all prepared for next year and in good shape when training camp starts.”

“When you don’t perform (changes) are warranted. It’s a shame, really, because we do have a great group here, a pretty tight-knit group of players, a good core, and I’m sure Bryan (Murray) is going to have some decisions to make this summer.”